A Forbidden Love
by Peach the Hedgehog
Summary: AU Against her will, Princess Lumina is soon to married to a Prince from another kingdom. With her heart set on another, what is she going to do when her mother the Queen finds out? Worse, what is the fate of the one she loves? Village Square Contest


Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Harvest Moon series.

**AN: This is for the Village Square Contest, which is Alternate Universe this time. It took a while to finally settle on an idea.**

It seemed to be a nice day at Zuluki Castle; the clouds rolling by, the sun trying to get its rays to peek out from behind one of them, and even the sounds of birds could be heard chirping. As the day went on, the clouds thickened in the sky, making it seem like more of a blanket, making it harder and harder for the sun to shine through them. Still, for Princess Lumina, it would have seemed like an ordinary day.

Still, there was something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Her mother said that today was going to be important. But at first, she didn't know what else it could be, besides seeing a prince from the neighboring kingdom, Prince Rock. She had seen him a few times, but she wasn't all that interested. In her mind, she already had a prince, even though he wasn't royalty.

Lumina was walking in one of the castle's hallways when she heard a voice behind her. "Good evening, Princess."

The girl turned to face a young man with short blonde hair and brown eyes, wearing blue princely clothes. She was going to say something, but had to swallow it since Romana always told her to be polite. Changing her words inside of her head first, she said, "Good evening, Prince Rock."

Rock flashed a smile. "So, tonight is going to be a special night for you, huh?"

Lumina gave the prince a puzzled look. "Special? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come now, my dear. Don't play with me like that! You know all about tonight!"

For a moment, the Princess was even more confused than she was before. "Tonight, what could it possibly be…?" She trailed off as it came rushing to her and her brown eyes widened in horror. "Tonight… it has to do with the ball."

Rock nodded, looking pleased that Lumina realized it. "That's right! The ball is being held in celebration of our marriage!"

Lumina's mouth dropped open when she heard that. After a few minutes, she was able to get a hold of herself. She put her right hand on top of her left sleeve, colored yellow like the rest of her dress. "Marriage… you and me… you can't be serious!"

"Of course I'm serious!" Rock cried, looking hurt that the Princess said something like that. "I wouldn't kid on something as special as this!"

"No way…" Lumina couldn't believe this was happening to her. How could something as important as this be decided without her consent?

"Yes way, Princess! My mother and yours worked out the little details not that long ago. They say that our marriage will be beneficial to both our kingdoms!"

"I don't care," the girl replied, shaking her head. "Look, I'm sorry. But the truth is, I don't think of you in that way."

Rock put his hands on his hips and looked at the brown haired Princess sternly. "Now look here, you are bound to this! It has been predetermined!" His face softened as he gave the girl another smile. "And to be honest, I'm looking forward to having you as my bride!"

A look of anger flashed in Lumina's eyes. "There is no way I am going through with this!" She turned around and started to run, her yellow sequined dress swaying as she moved.

She could hear Rock yelling behind her, telling her that it wasn't over yet. But Lumina never had any attention to marry anyone. Except for one person, whom she cared about with all of her heart. And right now, he was the person she wanted to see.

She ran through the corridors until she found the front door. Without a word, she rushed outside. By now, the clouds completely covered the sky, and some of them looked dark. There was a small scent of rain about ready to fall, but to her that wasn't the issue.

* * *

Jack breathed a sigh of relief, as he ran his hand over his forehead. Work on the farm seemed be going rather well. His crops were growing well, and he was sure the harvest would be good this season. For the most part, his animals were healthy, but one of his sheep didn't seem to be doing quite as well. He had to keep a close eye on her.

He smiled as he thought about a certain girl, who had short light brown hair and brown eyes. To him, she was a very special girl, and it wasn't just because of her status. Even without it, he knew he would think of her as an important girl. Then he sighed softly.

What were the chances of them actually being together at this point?

Just then, there was a knock on the front door. Wondering who it could be, when it looked like it might be raining any second, he went and opened the door. Who stood there caught him by surprise, a girl wearing a beautiful yellow dress, with short brown hair and brown eyes.

"P… princess! Why are you here? Is there something wrong?" As he spoke, Jack moved out of the way allowing the girl to walk inside. He closed the door as soon she was.

"Oh, Jack… it's horrible!" Lumina looked frantic at this point. "My mom was going to marry me off to someone I don't love!"

"What?" Jack's eyes widened when he heard that. "How soon would it be?"

"Tonight," the Princess answered softly, her body shaking.

"Shouldn't you be at the castle then?" the farmer asked, looking concerned. He didn't even have to wait for an answer. The look in her eyes told him that she didn't want to marry someone she didn't like. And to be honest, he wouldn't be happy if she had to. "You know the Queen will send guards to look for you. We need to find a good place for you to hide."

"But where?" Lumina asked worriedly. "I love you, and I would give up being a Princess in order to marry you."

"I love you too, Lumina," Jack agreed with a smile. "And I'd hide you here forever if I could. But it would just be too obvious. You know the Queen will be looking all over for you."

"Yes, but we should find a way to be together," the Princess replied. "If they find out that you love me, they could…"

The farmer nodded slowly. "Yeah… they could kill me. But I'm sure there is something we can do. We just have to figure this out. Does your mother know you left the castle?"

A thoughtful looked crossed Lumina's face. "She might," she answered, with uncertainty in her tone of voice. "I know Rock saw me run away, but I don't know if he saw me leave the castle. And that means they could be looking even as we speak."

"Then we got to act fast!" Jack looked at the girl he loved. "Do you have any allies that can help us?"

"My friend Mary lives in the next town over, and there is no connection to my kingdom in her village," Lumina replied. "I'm sure she can help us. She lives across the street from the library."

"That's good," the farmer said with a smile. "You should get going." Even as he was speaking, he could hear the sounds of horse's hooves in the distance. He didn't know if it was the guards or not, but even if they were, a plan formed in his head.

"Jack, I can't leave you now!" Lumina cried.

"Don't worry about me," Jack told the girl firmly. "I have a friend that can help me. But you need to get out of here! You can use my horse to help you get away. I also need to see if I can find someone to take care of my farm."

The Princess thought about it for a few seconds before nodding her head. "Okay… but promise me you'll catch up soon."

"I promise."

It was with those words that Lumina felt hope in her heart. Maybe they could get through this! And finally, she could be with the man she loved.


End file.
